Collapsible multistory mobile home structure

ABSTRACT

A mobile home structure typically including two sections which are joined together along a vertical plane extending longitudinally through the structure matching doorway and common wall portions of each section. Each section includes a foldable second level portion having a roof which is pivotally attached to be raised and lowered on two hinged opposite wall portions. The foldable portion of the second level has removable sidewall panels adapted to be inserted between the roof and a fixed lower portion of the sidewall, with one of the sidewall panels being dimensioned to interlock against longitudinal movement.

United States Patent [72] Inventor Eugene R. Fields Arcadia, Calif. [21] Appl. No. 771,083 [22] Filed Oct. 28, 1968 [45] Patented July 20, 1971 [73] Assignee Haskill H. Grodberg [54] CQLLAPSIBLE MULTl-STORY MOBILE HOME STRUCTURE 9 Claims, 9 Drawing Figs.

[52} U.S. Cl 52/66, 52/79, 52/219, 52/236, 216/27 [51] lnLCl E04b 7/16 [50] Field of Search 296/23, 23.6, 26, 27; 52/64, 79, 66, 219, 70, 71, 236, 234

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,233,935 2/1966 Brindle 296/23 3,356,410 12/1967 Taylor 296/27 FOREIGN PATENTS Great Britain 296/27 Primary Examiner-John E. Murtagh Attorney-Henry M. Bissell ABSTRACT: A mobile home structure typically including two sections which are joined together along a vertical plane extending longitudinally through the structure matching doorway and common wall portions of each section. Each section includes a foldable second level portion having a roof which is pivotally attached to be raised and lowered on two hinged opposite wall portions. The foldable portion of the second level has removable sidewall panels adapted to be inserted between the roof and a fixed lower portionof the sidewall, with one of the sidewall panels being dimensioned to interlock against longitudinal movement.

PATENTEUJULPOIHTI SHEET 1 OF 3 3593-471 IN VENTOR.

EUGENE R. FIELDS FIG.2 BY

ATTORNEY PATENTEU JuLzomn SHEET 2 OF 3 FIG.3

INVENTOR. 4 EUGENE R.FIELDS ATTORNEY COLLAPSIBLE MULTLSTORY MOBILE HOME STRUCTURE BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION blable walls and roof sections.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION A general object of the invention is to provide a multistory mobile home structure.

Another object of the invention is to provide a multistory mobile home structure having a foldable roof portion to permit transportation with standard highway clearances. 7

Other objectives of this invention can be attained with a provision of a mobile home having two complementary sections which are joined together along one wall of each section to form doorways and a common wall between the section. The common wall studs are oriented so that the width dimension is parallel to the plane of the common wall and are positioned in the common wall of each section so that each stud in one common wall is adjacent or contiguous with a stud in the other common wall section to form coacting pairs of studs when the two sections are connected together, for added structural strength and support of the roof when it is in the lowered position.

The second story of each section includes a foldable roof which is hingedly connected to the top edges of two further hinged end wall sections. When in the folded or lowered position the roof and end wall sections are supported by the top edges of a fixed lower sidewall, fixed lower interior walls, and

a porch railing. When the roof is raised as the result of a vertical force being applied to even a single pressure point, the roof and the hinged end wall sections fonn a parallelogram with the force required to unfold and raise the roof decreasing as the roof rises.'After the roof is fully raised to form a rectangle and temporarily supported with a minimum of one vertical brace, rectangular sidewall and interior wall panels are inserted between the top edges of the fixed lower sidewalls and fixed lower interior wall and the lower surface of the roof to form planar walls. One panel of each sidewall is dimensioned to interlock the end walls and the other sidewall panels against longitudinal movement or pivoting. In addition, such structural features as collapsible or telescoping plumbing vents are included in the wall panels.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS A better understanding of the invention may be obtained from a consideration of the following detailed description,

FIG. I is-a perspective view of a multilevel expandablev home structure in accordance with the invention, showing the structure in its fully unfolded, expanded, and assembled state;

' FIG. 2-is a side elevation view of themobile home of FIG. I showing the upper level and roof portion in a folded or lowered position;

FIG. 3 is a top plan view, partially cut away, illustrating the floor plan of the upper level of the mo'bile liome'bf FIGS. I and 2 with the upper wall sections and roof removed;

FIG. 4 is a side elevational view of the mobile home structure of FIGS. I-3 illustrating the upper level and the roof in the raised position with the removable sidewall panels inserted therein; r

FIG. 5 is a partial sectional view takenthrough the plane 5-5 of FIG. 4, illustrating the manner in which a removable wall panel is inserted between the fixed wall portion and the roof;

FIG. 6 is an elevational view of one end of a single unit,-included to show the position of the sectional views of FIGS. 7A and 7B;

FIGS. 7A and 7B are sectionalviews taken along the line 7-7 of FIG. 6 and showing the interlocking of wall panels at a comer of the upper level; and I FIG. Bis a perspective view of a pivoted action plumbing .vent which is used in the mobile home structure of the invention.

Referring now to the drawings in more detail, FIG. 1 illustrates an assembled, two-level mobile home structure 12 in which two matching half sections 14 and 16 are joined along a vertical plane extending longitudinally therethrough to form a structure having end walls 20, sidewalls 22 and a roof 24. When so joined in this fashion, the juncture line is unnoticeable as it is covered by masking trim and decoration, both inside and outside. As will be explained in more detail subsequently, removable wall panels have been inserted in the upper level sidewalls to form the planar sidewalls 20. In addition; a partially cantilevered porch 26 is constructed on the upper level and includes a railing 28 which extends around the porch's perimeter for conventional purposes of constraint and also to support the folding portion of the upper level when folded down for transport, as will be explained in more detail with reference to FIG. 2. In addition, the structure may include siding skirts 29, trim 30, an entry porch 32, outside lights 33 and eaves 36 as indicated.

Referring now to the structural details of the depicted mobile home structure, FIG. 2 illustrates the mobile home 12 in a folded or collapsed position wherein the height of the structure is significantly reduced to accommodate the limited clearances of highway transport. Structurally, the two end walls 20 of the structure include fixed lower wall sections 35 and 37 which extend vertically from the floor and upper porportions or sections 38 and 40 which are pivoted or hingedly connected to the roof 24 and the fixed lower wall sections 35 and 37 respectively. Both of these fixed lower wall sections 35 and 37 are generally rectangular and have substantially the same vertical dimension; and both of the hinged upper wall sections 38 and 40 are rectangular and have substantially the same dimensions. Hinges 42 are fastened between the upper edge or plate of the fixed lower. end wall sections 35 and 37 and the lower edge or plate of the upper end wall sections 38 and 40. These hinges 42 can be a double leaf hinge which extends the entire length of the end wall sections, can be a plurality of individual hinges, or can be other conventional pivot devices. Screws or other types of fasteners can be used to secure the hinges to the end wall sections and the roof.

The roof 24 is hingedly fastened to the upper edges of the upper end wall sections 38 and 40. More specifically, hinges 44 are fastened to the upper edges of the upper end wall sections 38 and 40. More specifically, hinges 44 are fastened to the upper edge or plate of the upper end wall sections 38 and 40 and to the lower surface and toward the ends of the roof 24, such as by screws or other types of fasteners as indicated above. The distance between the connection centers of the two upper hinges 44 to the roof is equal to the distance between the lower hinges 42 or the distance between the two end walls. Furthermore, the lower hinges 42 are oriented to pivot in a first direction and the upper hinges 44 are oriented to pivot in the opposite direction. As a result, the upper end wall sections 38 and 40 and the roof 24 form a portion of a parallelogram with one another.

.When the roof is inits folded or lowered position, it rests or is otherwise supported upon the top edges or plates of a fixed lower wall portions located between the end walls 20. That portion of the roof and upper end wall section which folds outi lower level (not shown) includes openings tiguous to one another so shortly,

ward and extends beyond the fixed lower end wall section is supported by the'top edge of the railing 28 on the porch 26 when fully folded.

Before proceeding further with the detailed description of the folding roof, reference is made to the floor plan of the upper level illustrated in FIG. 3. As previously stated, the mobile home 12 includes the first matching section 14 and the second matching section 16 which are joined together along a vertical plane which extends longitudinally through the structure. The two sections are transported as separate units to accommodate the width restrictions on highway vehicles. Additional sections may be installed to provide even more space in the finished home. In addition to the end walls 20 and the sidewalls 22, each section includes matching doorway openings (not shown in the depicted plan), room openings 48 and common walls 50 along the plane between sections 14 and 16, thereby dividing the interior of the structure. Similarly, the and common wall portion along the plane between the two sections. In addition other interior walls 52 are constructed to form other rooms.

Referring to the common wall section 50 (FIG. 3) in more detail, studs 54 are shown therein which are substantially rectangular, such as standard 2X4 wood members, and oriented with their width dimension or surface substantially parallel to the vertical plane between the two sections 14 and 16. In addition, the spacing between studs 52 and their locations are such that when the two sections I4 and 16 are joined together, two studs, one in each section, are positioned conthat they effectively form a coacting wall stud which is twice as thick as a single stud. In other words, they effectively form a 4X4 stud for verticalsupport. Consequently, additional structural strength can be attained. However, when the units are separated for transport, one-half the partition is retained with each unit for added support of the folded-down roof. As will be explained in more detail the common walls 50 and the interior walls 52 located between the end walls 20 include a fixed lower section which is rigidly fastened to extend vertically from the floor and includes removable upper panels which canbe removed to effectively reduce the height of the walls so that the roof 24 can be lowered to the position illustrated in FIG. 2. In addition the top edge of the fixed lower portions of the common walls 50 and the interior walls 52 support the roof 24 when it is folded.

Referring now to FIG, 4, when the roof 24 is fully raised, it and the upper end wall sections 38 and 40 form a substantially rectangular structure with the fixed lower portions 35 and 37 ofthe end walls 20, the second level s floor, and the sidewalls 22. It should be noted that when the roof 24 is unfolded or raised, the hinged upper sections 38 and 40 of the end walls 38 and 40 are positioned directly over the fixed lower end wall portions 35 and 37 respectively. Thus, no shear force is exerted on the hinges 42 or 44 (FIG. 2). In addition the substantially flat surface or plates of the two sections of the end walls provide some restraint against pivotal motion to prevent the roof 24 and the end wall sections 38 and 40 from folding back down.

It should be noted that the roof 24 can be raised with a vertical force applied to a minumum of one pressure point thereof and that the roof can thereafter be temporarily supported by a single vertical brace horizontal ann attached to its upper end. Use of the brace for support is only appropriate while the roof is being raised or lowered and while the removable sidewall and partition panels are being inserted or removed. Ideally, when the brace 56 is in place, it will cause the roof 24 to be deflected slightly upward 56 having a horizontal base and a I so that the distance between the roofs lower surface and the 7 upper edge of a fixed lower wall portions is slightly greater than the vertical dimensions of the removable wall panels 60 through 66, thus pennitting ready insertion or removal of the panels.

The removable sidewall panels 60 through 66, which are slidably inserted between the top edge of 1 a fixed lower sidewall portion 68 and the lower surface of the roof 24 illustrated in FIG. 4, are substantially rectangular. The siding 70 of the fixed lower sidewall portion 68(sec' FIG. 5) is constructed to project above the top surface or plate of the fixed wall. In addition, the roof 24 similarly has a siding 72 which extends down below the lower surface of the roof. Each of the removable sidewall panels 60-through 66 has a substantially flat lower edge and upper edge which contacts the upper edge of the fixed lower sidewall portion 68 and the lower surface of the roof 24 respectively when the removable panels are inserted in place. The outer surface of the removable wall panels has siding 74 fastened thereto. The siding 74 is dimensioned vertically less than the height of the removable panel so that when the removable wall panels are inserted in place the siding 74 will match with the projecting portions of siding 70 and 72 to form a unitary wall in lap-butt construction. The projecting portions of the sidings 70 and 72 also serve to prevent the removable wall panels such as 64 from being inserted too far by effectively stopping them when the siding surface and the interior wall surfaces are planar. In addition, as indicated in FIGS. 7A and 7B, which are sections taken along the line 7-7 of FIG. 6, when the removable wall end panels such as 66 are inserted in place, they are slid longitudinally so that the endmost wall panels 60 and 66 are positioned with the outermost vertical edges abutting the interior edge of the hinged upper end wall sections such as the section 40,'as is illustrated in FIG. 78.

It should be further noted with reference to FIGS. 7A and 78 that the siding 74 on the two endmost removable panels such as 66 is wider than the panel and projects beyond one end. As a result, siding 74 lap-butts the side edge of the upper end wall portion 40 to hold the panel 66 in place and to match with the siding 72 and 74 (FIG. 5).

In order to interlock the removable wall panels against longitudinal motion and thus provide added rigidity to the collapsible structure when it is extended for use, an end one of the removable wall panels 60 is dimensioned larger than the other wall panels. In addition, the top edge of a complementary portion 75 of the fixed sidewall 68 is stepped or dimensioned lower than the remaining top edge of the fixed sidewall to form a larger opening which receives the larger removable wall panel 60. As a result of the vertical abutment 76 (best shown in FIG. 4) the entire set of removable sidewall panels 60 through 66 is interlocked in place and prevented from moving longitudinally in one direction whereupon the upper end wall sections 38 and 40cannot be pivoted to lower the roof 24. It should also be noted (see FIG. 2) that the stepped portion 75 of the fixed sidewall 68 will support the upper end wall section 38 when the roof 24 is fully lowered.

The interior walls 50 and 52 end walls 28 and the sidewalls 22 are constructed similarly to the sidewalls 22 in that they include a fixed lower portion and removable wall panels. The removable wall panels for the interior walls are also substantially rectangular and are similarly inserted between the top surface of the fixed wall portions and the lower surface of the roof 24. Thus, when all of the removable wall sections or wall panels are in place, the braces such as 56 are removed and the roof 24 lowers to rest upon the walls and partition. As a result, all of the weight of the roof is supported vertically through the wall sections, including the end walls 20 the sidewalls 22 and the interior walls 50 and 52 and the porch railing 28; and the entire folded structure is held in place by friction and its own weight.

With the collapsible roof structure as described, some provision is. needed for a plumbing vent to accommodate the change of roof position from folded to extended. A plumbing vent 78, illustrated in detail in FIG. 8, extends vertically through anupper level wall of the structure to the roof 24. For example, as illustrated in the plan view of FIG. 3, the plumbing vent 78 extends vertically upward through the outside wall 22 of the section 16 and then into the bathroom so it can be raised or lowered as needed as the roof is raised or folded. The plumbing vent 78 can be pivoted about a horizontal axis next to a first elbow 84 by means of a scalable coupling 80 illus- (FIG. 3) located between thetrated in FIG. 8. More specifically, a vertical vent pipe 82 is fastened to a 90 elbow 84. The coupling 80 provides a pivotal seal joining the pipe portions between the elbows 84 and 88. The other end of the elbow 88 is connected to a section of vent pipe 90, which in turn has another sealable coupling member 92 secured to its other end. A slidable pipe 94 is inserted in the coupling 92 for extending through the roof 24. This section of vent pipe 90 and the coupling 92 can be raised and lowered by rotating it about the horizontal axis of the sleeve 86. For example, when the vent pipe is assembled as shown in solid outline in FIG. 8, it is in the vertical upright position and the additional section of vent pipe 94 is slid out of the coupling 92 to extendup through the roof 24. When, however, the roof is to be folded, the upper section of vent pipe 94 is retracted and the section of vent pipe 90 is rotated to its lowered position, as illustrated by the broken outline.

Although there have been described hereinabove a specific arrangement of a collapsible multistory mobile home structure in accordance with the invention for the purpose of illustrating the manner in which the invention may be used to advantage, it should be readily apparent that the invention is not limited thereto. Accordingly, any and all modifications, variations, or equivalent arrangements falling within the scope of the annexed claims should be considered to be a part of the invention.

lclaim: I

l. A mobile home structure comprising:

a first and a second end wall, each including a fixed lower portion and an upper portion pivotally connected to said lower portion;

fixed lower wall means located between said first and second end walls;

roof means pivotally attached to said upper end wall portions of said first and second end walls, said roof and said end walls being operable to be folded between a lowered position and a raised position forming a parallelogram in a raised position; and

wall panel means for being inserted between a top surface of said fixed wall portions and a lower surface of said roof; one end of said structure further including a porch having a railing thereon, the railing being operable to support a portion of the roof and an upper end wall portion when folded.

2. The mobile home structure of claim 1 comprising side by side units adapted to be transported separately and further including separable partition sections for being joined together along a vertical plane extending longitudinally through the structure to form a central interior partition common to both units when joined together, the partition sections having studs each spaced and located therein to be contiguous a stud in the other section when the partition sections are joined together.

3. The mobile home structure of claim 2 in which said studs are of a substantially rectangular cross section with the longer cross section dimension being oriented parallel to the longitudinal vertical plane.

4. A' multistory structure having a roof adapted to be lowered for purposes of transport or the like comprising;

an upper story having walls and interior partitions with distinct upper and lower portions, the upper portions of the sidewalls and partitions being divided into sections and removable from the respective lower portions; and hinged fastening means connecting the upper portions of the end walls to the end wall lower portions and to the roof, respectively, the hinged fastening means being adapted to permit the respective upper end wall portions to pivot about the lines of connection with the respective lower end wall portions as the opposite legs of a collapsing parallelogram to lower the roof to a position of rest on the lower portions of the sidewalls and partitions. 5. A multistory structure in accordance with claim 4 wherein at least one of the lower sidewall portions has a recessed section and at least one of the removable upper sidewall sections is dimensioned to fit the recessed section in order to lock the hinged upper end wall sections and roof against collapse.

6. A multistory structure in accordance with claim 5 wherein the recessed section is at the end of the lower sidewall portion so that the upper wall section dimensioned to fit therein abuts against the adjacent end wall portion when it is installed in place.

7. A multistory structure in accordance with claim 4 further including siding positioned along the sides of the roof and the upper edge of the lower sidewall portions in overlapping juxtaposition to restrain the upper sidewall sections from falling outward during installation, the upper sidewall sections having siding positioned thereon so as to matingly engage the over lapping siding of the roof and lower sidewall portions.

8. A multistory structure in accordance with claim 4 wherein the end sections of the upper sidewall portions are provided with exterior siding extending beyond the ends of said sections so as to cover the ends of the end wall hinged portions when the sidewall sections are installed.

9. A multistory structure in accordance with claim 4 further including a plumbing vent for extending above the roof when in the raised configuration, the plumbing vent having a pivota ble section comprising a pair of elbows and a rotatable, sealing joint in a substantially horizontal section connected between the elbows, the first of the elbows being connected to a portion of the vent fixed in position within the portion of said structure below the line between the upper and lower portions of the walls, and the second of the elbows being connected to an extension which is rotatable with the second elbow about the rotatable joint between a lowered, substantially horizontal position when the roof is lowered and a raised, substantially vertical position when the roof is raised. 

1. A mobile home structure comprising: a first and a second end wall, each including a fixed lower portion and an upper portion pivotally connected to said lower portion; fixed lower wall means located between said first and second end walls; roof means pivotally attached to said upper end wall portions of said first and second end walls, said roof and said end walls being operable to be folded between a lowered position and a raised position forming a parallelogram in a raised position; and wall panel means for being inserted between a top surface of said fixed wall portions and a lower surface of said roof; one end of said structure further including a porch having a railing thereon, the railing being operable to support a portion of the roof and an Upper end wall portion when folded.
 2. The mobile home structure of claim 1 comprising side by side units adapted to be transported separately and further including separable partition sections for being joined together along a vertical plane extending longitudinally through the structure to form a central interior partition common to both units when joined together, the partition sections having studs each spaced and located therein to be contiguous a stud in the other section when the partition sections are joined together.
 3. The mobile home structure of claim 2 in which said studs are of a substantially rectangular cross section with the longer cross section dimension being oriented parallel to the longitudinal vertical plane.
 4. A multistory structure having a roof adapted to be lowered for purposes of transport or the like comprising; an upper story having walls and interior partitions with distinct upper and lower portions, the upper portions of the sidewalls and partitions being divided into sections and removable from the respective lower portions; and hinged fastening means connecting the upper portions of the end walls to the end wall lower portions and to the roof, respectively, the hinged fastening means being adapted to permit the respective upper end wall portions to pivot about the lines of connection with the respective lower end wall portions as the opposite legs of a collapsing parallelogram to lower the roof to a position of rest on the lower portions of the sidewalls and partitions.
 5. A multistory structure in accordance with claim 4 wherein at least one of the lower sidewall portions has a recessed section and at least one of the removable upper sidewall sections is dimensioned to fit the recessed section in order to lock the hinged upper end wall sections and roof against collapse.
 6. A multistory structure in accordance with claim 5 wherein the recessed section is at the end of the lower sidewall portion so that the upper wall section dimensioned to fit therein abuts against the adjacent end wall portion when it is installed in place.
 7. A multistory structure in accordance with claim 4 further including siding positioned along the sides of the roof and the upper edge of the lower sidewall portions in overlapping juxtaposition to restrain the upper sidewall sections from falling outward during installation, the upper sidewall sections having siding positioned thereon so as to matingly engage the overlapping siding of the roof and lower sidewall portions.
 8. A multistory structure in accordance with claim 4 wherein the end sections of the upper sidewall portions are provided with exterior siding extending beyond the ends of said sections so as to cover the ends of the end wall hinged portions when the sidewall sections are installed.
 9. A multistory structure in accordance with claim 4 further including a plumbing vent for extending above the roof when in the raised configuration, the plumbing vent having a pivotable section comprising a pair of elbows and a rotatable, sealing joint in a substantially horizontal section connected between the elbows, the first of the elbows being connected to a portion of the vent fixed in position within the portion of said structure below the line between the upper and lower portions of the walls, and the second of the elbows being connected to an extension which is rotatable with the second elbow about the rotatable joint between a lowered, substantially horizontal position when the roof is lowered and a raised, substantially vertical position when the roof is raised. 